Feb 22nd 10 Posted by Fritz McDonald

Facing Your Fear: Social Media Won’t Destroy You

The number one question I get asked time and again: how do we respond to negative behavior or comments on our institutional social media or the external platforms our students might be on? In many ways, this question feels like a deal breaker—if I get it wrong, I often wonder if I’m giving someone a reason to not engage in social media. Usually, the people asking the question have the best of intentions—they... read more

Feb 19th 10 Posted by Brenda Harms

See You in San Antonio

As I prepare to leave for the 2010 Stamats’ Adult Student Marketing Conference I am so excited for the opportunity to come together with professionals whose day to day responsibilities involve working with adult students. In one of the early pieces I wrote for Stamats a few years ago I referred to adult students as afterthoughts at many institutions. While I believe many colleges and universities... read more

Feb 10th 10 Posted by Fritz McDonald

For Twitter Newbies—Twitbies

Although Twitter has been with us for a while now and has become a major social platform in a short time, many of us are still new to it. I’ve been on it since fall of last year, and I still consider myself a Twitter Newbie or Twitbie. This is not a bad thing to be—in fact, it’s kind of a favored status. Unless you behave badly on Twitter—dissing and/or spamming folks—the community respects... read more

Feb 8th 10 Posted by Matt Arnold

Optimization

As we are early into the new decade, I hope the year and the decade find you doing well. The past decade saw tremendous growth, change, and innovation in the interactive space. From the predominance of brochureware sites in the early part of the decade, to the Web 2.0 changes in the mid ’00s, to today, on the cusp of Web2, it’s an exciting, albeit sometimes frustrating time for interactive marketers.... read more

Feb 5th 10 Posted by Julie Staggs

When Will the “Helicopters” Land

The Changing Role of Parents from Influencers to Participants in Graduate Recruitment I expect that most of us have heard the term “helicopter parents.” While you may regard this term as one applying to parents of school-age children or undergraduate-age students, these parents are creeping into the graduate school recruitment process in a more dominant way as their children reach that stage in... read more

Feb 4th 10 Posted by Brenda Harms

2010 Stamats’ Adult Student Marketing Conference

It’s February, and we are closing in on two significant events in the area of serving adult students. First, Stamats’ Adult Student Marketing Conference in San Antonio, TX February 23–25. For those of you who attended last year, I hope to see you back again! If you have not joined us for this event please consider making the trip to San Antonio for a great conference filled with opportunities... read more

Feb 4th 10 Posted by Bob Sevier

The Elements of Institutional Success

At the annual NAICU meeting in early February I had the opportunity to ask a number of college presidents this question: What are the ingredients to institutional success? I had lots of responses, but during the course of the day the following common themes occurred repeatedly. First, leadership. Someone needs to take charge, frame the issues, and make the tough decisions. Second, a strong senior team.... read more

Feb 2nd 10 Posted by Becky Morehouse

Did you Know? Interesting Stats about Working Moms and Mobile Services

Working moms, defined as women who are employed full-time and have one or more kids in the house, are among the highest spenders in the U.S. on cellular phone services, spending 21% more than the average cell user on their monthly bills. This is an important stat to consider for higher ed marketing because significant numbers of these “working moms” are the same ones who may be considering attending... read more